Loreto

A place with a long tradition and explosive adrenaline, party and tranquility, austerity and abundance.

Adventure between the desert and the sea

Unmissable destination to visit the old missions, spectacular beaches and islands and take blue whale watching tours

Loreto is a place of contrasts, located in the middle of the state of Baja California Sur, embraced by the mountains of the Sierra de La Giganta and guarded by the Sea of ​​Cortez.

On October 25, 1697, Jesuit Father Juan María de Salvatierra founded the first successful European settlement on the peninsula.

He named it Real de Loreto, in honor of the Virgin of Loreto in Italy. Later, to facilitate identification between settlers and indigenous people, he added the name Conchó, a word of Cochimí origin used by the locals that means “Mangle Colorado”, so the name of the first mission in the Californias is Nuestra Señora de Loreto Conchó.

For all the above, October is the month where we dress up for a party. The “Fiestas de la Fundación” are the perfect opportunity to learn all about the magical secrets of Loreto.

In June 2012, Loreto was named Pueblo Mágico. Loreto has a lot to show the world, nature, history, culture, art and traditions, warm people and good food; all this is part of what makes us one of the most beautiful towns on the peninsula. So throughout the year there are various gastronomic festivals, sporting events and traditional festivals that we invite you to experience.

Activities and tours

The local gastronomy has evolved over time. Although fish and shellfish are the basis of Loreto’s diet, new flavors are added to the panorama every year:  Mediterranean, Asian, South American and from other parts of our country, so the gastronomic proposal is richer in variety and attractiveness every year. Do not miss the opportunity to taste the best dish of Loreto, “Las Almejas Chocolatas”.

In Loreto, a large number of guided walks are offered either for one day or for several, which guarantee you to visit the attractions of the place safely since you will always be accompanied by a certified guide who follows the guidelines of the protected natural area and knows of the safety regulations when visiting the ranches or ejidos that your trip covers. In addition, he has specialized knowledge of the places, group management and first aid.

Your visit to Loreto can be as productive as you decide, three days, five, seven, one hundred, everything will depend on your time and your curiosity. In this map you will see some examples and suggestions to visit our lovely Pueblo Mágico.

Explore the Sierra de La Giganta and end the tour in the second Mission built by the Jesuits and the best preserved of all, in the middle of large ravines that impose on the beauty of the landscape. Walk through the Missionary gardens and find out about all the daily activities of the South Californian ranchers. This tour is suitable for the whole family.

Your visit to Loreto can be as productive as you decide, three days, five, seven, one hundred, all depending on your time and your curiosity. 

Do you want to know how the South Californian rancher lives? sign up for this walk and know how they live, what they eat, how they cultivate, how they travel in the mountains. Get on a mule and explore the semi-desert landscape of the mountains so that at noon you can enjoy a classic ranch lunch, with flour tortillas that you will make with your own hands and with the traditional goat’s milk cheese, which you also milked before starting your tour.

Your visit to Loreto can be as productive as you decide, three days, five, seven, one hundred, all depending on your time and your curiosity.

Walk through interesting canyons full of geological history, fossils, birds, plants and animals typical of the mountain. There are them with gentle slopes and others with great height where the final point is a wonderful view of the entire Bay of Loreto and its islands.

Be sure to visit the interesting streams near Loreto such as “La Pingüica” full of extraordinary images that relate the life of the ancient inhabitants of the Peninsula. Visit extraordinary caves and trails full of petroglyphs. Or visit the Santo Domingo ranch and the “Serpiente” cave, a small mountain refuge used by the ancient inhabitants of La California.

If riding is your thing, join a group and go through the wonderful canyons and streams in the Sierra de La Giganta, to go through great routes full of adrenaline, or the streams that lead to a great view of the sea. Check with the route operator to find out which members of your family can do the activity, generally the tours last an average of 4 hours.

This activity is the most recent, but it is still impressive. If you know about the subject, you have to contact the official operators to go to the more than fifteen established routes, where you have to follow the security protocols and enjoy the heights.

If yours is tranquility; take a nature tour, bird watching, plants, geology, fossils, intertidal zone, estuaries and more. All tour operators can offer you one that suits your tastes.

From nearby Coronados with its colony of sea lions and its beautiful white beaches to distant Santa Catalina Island with its species of giant cactus and extraordinary endemic reptiles, the park’s islands are a clear example of what nature can offer. The walks have an average duration of 6 hours.

Different operators take you by paddle board, kayak, panga, sailboat or catamaran to observe the wonderful colors of the sunrise behind Isla del Carmen or sunset with the La Giganta mountain range. The tours are for the whole family, depending on the boat you choose, as well as the duration of it. Different operators take you by paddle board, kayak, panga, sailboat or catamaran to observe the wonderful colors of the sunrise behind Isla del Carmen or sunset with the La Giganta mountain range. The tours are for the whole family, depending on the boat you choose, as well as the duration of it.

The season of the imposing blue whale is during the months of February and March, around 60 boats have permits and their captains are trained to take you to enjoy a respectful activity of observation and contemplation of the blue and fin whale during your visit. through the waters of the marine park. The rest of the year enjoy hundreds of dolphins of various species, plus whales: pilot, sperm whales, humpbacks, minky and killer whales among others, as well as giant manta rays, which roam the Bay of Loreto.

Get lost in the islands and enjoy nature for yourself, there are different companies that can take you for several days to the different islands of the Bahía de Loreto National Park.

Visiting the Bay of Loreto and not diving into its depths is unforgivable, dive among sunken ships, caves, walls, large rocks and underwater peaks, full of a great variety of marine species. All the operators in the area are certified and professionals in the activity, all of them will offer you different options to visit and if you don’t know how to dive they can also give you a course and your certification depending on how long you have to visit us.

Suggested Routes

Unforgettable experiences for your stay in Loreto

Day 1 – Day tour to Coronados Island to enjoy its white beaches and turquoise waters.

Day 2 – Guided visit to the Mission of San Javier, eat the traditional burritos of machaca and fresh ranchero cheese.

Day 3 – Guided city tour around the historic center and boardwalk, discover why we are a magical town.

Day 1 – Day tour to Isla Danzante, to snorkel, kayak or dive.

Day 2 – Guided Visit to the Mission of San Javier and Santo Domingo, enter a cave with rock art and observe a camp hundreds of years old.

Day 3 – Hike through some of the canyons near Loreto and observe its wildlife, as well as incredible landscapes.

Day 4 –Relax in our magical town going through its history and tasting its fried clams.

Day 1 – Visit Isla del Carmen with great scenic attractions and places to dive, snorkel or get on a paddle board.

Day 2 –Visit San Javier, but on the back of a mule, go on a small horseback ride between ranches to see how the Southern California rancher lives.

Day 3 – Take a walk along the beach and the golf course in Nopoló to do bird watching, you will be surprised at the number of species in this region.

Day 4 – Visit the Arroyo La Pingüica, a pleasant walk in the semi desert, observe the local fauna and flora. Discover interesting petroglyphs, observe the rock art of this central area of ​​Baja California Sur. One of a kind.

Day 5 – Visit San Cosme and Agua Verde, the southern part of the municipality. Landscapes that will take your breath away, hot springs, pleasant camping areas, regional cooking classes, enjoy sport fishing, kayaking and beaches full of marine life.

 

Día 1 – Go out and find the blue whales (in season) and other species of marine mammals.

Day 2 – Complete your whale expedition visiting Puerto López Mateos or Puerto San Carlos in Comondú, to see the gray whale and spend time in incredible dunes and observe dozens of species of birds.

Day 3 – Visit the Sierra de La Giganta and its different neighboring towns such as Los Comondús, La Purísima and San Isidro.

Day 4 – Travel north to splash out on the beautiful beaches of Bahía Concepción.

Day 5 onwards – For more days you can include different combinations to visit Mulegé and Santa Rosalía north of Loreto or explore and extend the visit to the north of the state to San Ignacio, San Juanico Bay to other ecotourism activities.

Destination Allies

Incentive packages

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